المملكة: Purple Saturday goes beyond performances to empower people with disabilities

Specialists confirmed that the “Purple Saturday” initiative represents a national opportunity to enhance the inclusion of persons with disabilities, and to consolidate their right to access services, products, and offers with independence and dignity, noting that its impact is not limited to discounts and preferential prices, but rather extends to raising awareness of disability issues, and motivating establishments to develop their environments and services in accordance with universal accessibility standards.
Speaking to Al-Youm on the occasion of the “Purple Saturday” initiative, they explained that true inclusivity requires removing physical, digital and communication barriers, qualifying human resources, adapting policies and procedures, and involving people with disabilities in designing and evaluating services, stressing that the integration of governmental, private and non-profit sectors contributes to enhancing independence and quality of life, and transforming seasonal initiatives into sustainable practices.

Universal access is the basis of empowerment

The Dean of the College of Education at the University of Jeddah, Dr. Mishal Salman Al-Rifai, explained that the importance of the “Purple Saturday” initiative lies in promoting the principle of including persons with disabilities in society, and making them feel appreciated and cared for, in addition to encouraging the private sector to raise awareness of disability, and provide marketing opportunities, services, and products at preferential prices, in a way that reflects positively economically on persons with disabilities and their families.
He pointed out that commercial establishments can adapt their services to the needs of people with disabilities by applying comprehensive accessibility standards, which include physical access to buildings and facilities, digital access to websites and electronic platforms, and ease of obtaining services and products, in addition to educating human resources and adapting policies and procedures.

He added that improving the experience of beneficiaries requires preparing buildings, providing visual and audio guidance tools, having qualified personnel to deal with various disabilities, and making use of assistive technologies.
He stressed that partnerships between government, private and non-profit sectors open the way for innovative solutions that enhance the independence of people with disabilities, stressing that positive attitudes towards disability represent the primary driver for removing obstacles, leading to a society that is friendly to all.

The beneficiary is a partner in development

Autism and behavioral disorders specialist Kholoud Al-Harbi confirmed that “Purple Saturday” represents an opportunity to enhance awareness of the rights and needs of persons with disabilities, and to encourage entities to develop their services and raise the readiness of their environments in accordance with comprehensive accessibility standards, in a way that enhances the participation of persons with disabilities and enables them to benefit from various services.
She explained that developing services in the government and private sectors requires removing obstacles that limit ease of access, providing easy means of communication and supportive technologies, training workers on effective dealing and communication skills, while involving people with disabilities in evaluating and developing services, to ensure they are compatible with their actual needs.

She added that improving the experience includes creating environments, taking into account sensory needs when needed, providing multiple means of communication, and simplifying procedures for obtaining services, in a way that enhances independence, quality, and equal opportunities in the commercial, entertainment, and health sectors.
She stressed that partnerships between the three sectors contribute to unifying efforts, exchanging experiences, and implementing awareness and training programs, and that the success of any initiative or project directed at people with disabilities is not complete without their involvement in planning, development, and evaluation, because their experiences and opinions represent the basis for building more quality and comprehensive services.

Inclusivity is an ongoing practice

Noha Al-Zahrani, a behavior analyst certified by the American Board of Applied Behavior Analysis and a specialist in autism and behavioral disorders, said that “Purple Saturday” reinforces the concept of inclusivity, so that attention to people with disabilities is not limited to providing performances, but rather extends to ensuring their ease of access to services, respecting their needs, and enabling them to fully participate in society with independence and dignity.
She explained that achieving this requires removing physical and communication barriers, providing accessible environments and services that take into account the diversity of needs, and training workers to deal professionally with various disabilities.

She added that improving the experience of people with disabilities begins with listening to them and involving them directly in designing and evaluating services, as they are most capable of identifying their real needs and the challenges they face and proposing appropriate solutions.
She pointed out that partnerships between different sectors play a pivotal role in transforming inclusiveness from temporary slogans and initiatives into realistic and sustainable practices, stressing that inclusiveness is not an initiative related to one day, but rather an ongoing responsibility that guarantees every person their right to access, participation and respect.

Comprehensive design from the start

Participating professor of special education, expert and sign language translator, Dr. Lujain Mahmoud Sindi, confirmed that “Purple Saturday” represents a national opportunity to renew commitment to inclusion, and to emphasize that empowering people with disabilities begins with removing the obstacles that limit their full participation in society.
She explained that the value of the initiative lies not only in offers and discounts, but in raising awareness of the importance of designing services and environments in a way that ensures equal opportunities for all, and allows a person with a disability to access services with independence and dignity, as an active partner in development, in line with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

She said that developing services requires moving from adding facilities later to designing comprehensive services from the beginning, which includes preparing facilities, applying digital accessibility standards, providing multiple means of communication, such as sign language and assistive technologies, training employees in professional communication, and involving people with disabilities in evaluating services and proposing appropriate solutions.
She added that the positive experience does not depend on engineering preparation only, but rather begins with the institution’s culture, good reception, ease of obtaining information, shortening procedures, and providing multiple options for accessing the service, stressing that continuous training for workers contributes to providing more professional and humane services.
She stressed that inclusiveness is a shared responsibility that cannot be achieved through the efforts of one sector, and that the integration of government agencies, the private and non-profit sectors, and educational institutions contributes to spreading awareness, building capabilities, developing work environments and services, and makes inclusiveness an institutional culture and not a seasonal initiative.
She concluded by emphasizing that people with disabilities do not expect exceptional treatment, but rather aspire to fair environments that enable them to learn, work, create, and participate, and that designing services to suit everyone improves the quality of life for the entire community.